The plea leaves a judge to decide punishment in a case built from Polaroids, witness testimony and online gun posts.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — A Las Vegas woman pleaded guilty to kidnapping and involuntary manslaughter after prosecutors said she fatally shot 23-year-old Mark Gaughan during a gun-themed photo shoot outside a Nassau Drive home.

Allysandra Blea, 20, had first faced an open murder charge in the August 2025 killing. Her plea changed the case from a murder trial to a sentencing proceeding, while leaving many of the central facts on the record: a late-night gathering, a firearm used as a prop, Polaroid pictures, a 911 call and a witness who said Blea had been upset that Gaughan described her as his girlfriend.

The shooting was reported at about 4:47 a.m. Aug. 23 in the 1000 block of Nassau Drive, according to Las Vegas police. Officers found Gaughan on a sidewalk with an apparent gunshot wound to the neck and tried to save him until medical crews arrived. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said Gaughan had been taking pictures of Blea near a vehicle when the gun discharged. Blea called 911 and described it as an accidental shooting, but detectives later treated the death as a homicide. In court records, prosecutors said the facts went beyond a mishandled prop and pointed to conduct that supported serious felony charges.

The plea included first-degree kidnapping and involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors said Blea admitted kidnapping Gaughan for the purpose of causing substantial bodily harm or death and killing him without intending to do so. The agreement removed the murder charge from the case, but it did not erase the state’s account of how the shooting unfolded. Prosecutors agreed to recommend five years to life in prison on the kidnapping count and did not oppose making the manslaughter sentence concurrent, meaning the prison time on both counts could be served at the same time. Sentencing was set for July 29 before a Clark County judge.

Grand jury testimony gave the case a sharper personal dispute. Maverick Crafts, a friend who witnessed the shooting, said Blea had talked that night about how Gaughan described their relationship. Crafts said Blea told her, “I don’t understand why he thinks I’m his girlfriend, I don’t like him like that.” Crafts also said Blea was “disgusted” to hear that Gaughan called her his girlfriend. Asked about the relationship, Crafts said Gaughan thought they were dating, while Blea did not show the same affection. “It wasn’t really affectionate,” Crafts said. “It was just kind of hanging out.”

The photo shoot began inside the home with a staged costume idea, according to testimony described in court records. Blea wore camouflage and a bloody corset, and the group used a mounted deer head as part of the scene. Gaughan took Polaroid pictures of Blea and Crafts. When he said only two pictures were left, the group moved outside for a different background. Crafts said she saw a camera flash and a photo begin to print. Then, she said, Blea moved beside her and another flash went off, louder than the first. Gaughan and the camera fell. Crafts said she did not see Blea pull the trigger.

Police and prosecutors also focused on the firearm’s handling before the shooting. A fourth person in the home told investigators he had once worked at a gun store and had removed the magazine and cleared the chamber earlier that evening. According to the case record, Blea and the other woman suggested Gaughan put the gun back together while they changed clothes for pictures. Investigators later found Polaroids at the scene, including images that showed Blea posing with the gun. One photo showed the firearm pointed near her mouth with her finger on the trigger. Another also showed her finger on the trigger, according to accounts of the probable cause affidavit.

Detectives also reviewed Blea’s online activity. Prosecutors said she had a “fascination with firearms” and liked posing with handguns, revolvers and rifles. The case record described photos of her holding guns in different poses, including guns pressed to her head and to stuffed animals’ heads. Police said one online comment from Blea read, “I wish I could shoot people with real guns and get away with it.” Defense lawyers described the posts as dark humor and challenged how much weight they should carry in court. They argued that inflammatory statements and pictures could be unfairly prejudicial if jurors saw them at trial.

The guilty plea narrowed those disputes, but it did not end them. At sentencing, the judge may still hear arguments about what the photos, statements and witness testimony show about Blea’s state of mind. Prosecutors are expected to stress the firearm handling, the relationship dispute and the kidnapping admission. Defense lawyers may point to the manslaughter plea, which says Blea killed Gaughan without intent to do so, and argue that the final sentence should reflect that distinction. The judge will decide whether the agreed recommendation fits the facts and Nevada sentencing law.

Gaughan’s death also left behind a record of a small gathering that turned fatal in seconds. Police described him as the person behind the camera. Witnesses described him taking Polaroids while others posed in costumes with a gun. The evidence now before the court includes what was said inside the home, what was captured in pictures and what happened outside moments before he collapsed on the sidewalk. The central unknown is how the gun came to be loaded and ready to fire after one person said he had cleared it earlier in the night.

Blea remained on track for sentencing July 29. The next court hearing will decide her punishment on the kidnapping and involuntary manslaughter convictions, nearly 11 months after Gaughan was shot outside the Las Vegas home.

Author note: Last updated July 6, 2026.